Dorchester man arraigned in connection with July 5 mass shooting
BOSTON, July 10, 2023 –A Dorchester man was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on assault to murder and multiple weapons violations after being arrested over the weekend in connection with a July 5 mass shooting in Mattapan, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
TRAEQUON DUNCAN, 27, was charged in Dorchester BMC with assault with intent to murder, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, illegal possession of a firearm second offense and illegal weapons possession after a prior conviction. Judge Samir Zaganjori ordered Duncan held pending a July 17 dangerousness hearing.
A second man, DAMARIUS BULTUMER, 23, of West Roxbury, was arrested at the same time as Duncan on weapons charges unrelated to the Mattapan shooting. Zaganjori ordered Bultumer held pending a dangerousness hearing on the same date.
On July 5 at 2:01am, officers responded to the intersection of River St. and Edgewater Drive for reports of multiple people shot. Upon arrival, officers discovered a large crime scene filled with over 40 shell casings, multiple bullet fragments, and 3 separate firearms. There were five shooting victims who were identified at the scene or at the various area hospital ERs.
Later that day, officers obtained access to surveillance footage from the liquor store at 7 Edgewater Drive. In that video, they observed two men on the footage involved in the shooting. When the first shots were fired, they immediately took cover between two parked cars, produced their own firearms, and began shooting in the direction of the original shooters. One of the men was wearing a white t-shirt and was later identified by at least five independent police officers as Traequon Duncan. He fled in a maroon Ford Explorer owned by and registered to him.
On July 8 around 11 pm, officers conducted a traffic stop of the maroon Ford Explorer. When officers approached the vehicle and requested that the operator lower all of the windows, they observed Duncan sitting in the driver's side back seat. After officers confirmed his name and identity with his license, they had Duncan exit the vehicle and placed him under arrest.
Officers also issued an exit order for the vehicle due to the potential presence of firearms. One of the passengers was Damarcus Bultumer, When officers pat-frisked Bultumer, they felt a hard metallic object between his legs. When he declined to answer what was between his legs and if it was a firearm, they placed him in handcuffs. Officers then removed a small black semi-automatic firearm from Bultumer's boxer shorts. The firearm was later identified as a Ruger Mayoday .380 caliber, semi-automatic pistol, with no rounds in the chamber but a magazine holding 6 rounds of ammunition.
“This is a good example of diligent police work and a frightening example of the menace posed by illegal guns and people unhesitant to use them. The shocking reality of 40 shell casings at a shooting scene stands as a measure of that menace. Until our national leaders unify on a top-down approach to gun violence our neighborhoods will continue to suffer,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications